


Home

by LiraelClayr007



Series: My 31 Days of Ficmas [22]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Figuring Things Out, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, but also fluff, slight angst, traveling by train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 21:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiraelClayr007/pseuds/LiraelClayr007
Summary: They take the train home.There are faster ways to travel, of course. Jackie argues for the speed and comfort of flight. Rose, however, inwardly flinches at the idea of a small, intimate cabin in a zeppelin. Something flashes across the Doctor’s eyes when Rose says she doesn’t want to fly, but it’s gone too fast for her to interpret.***...in which Rose, the Doctor, and Jackie make their way from Bad Wolf Bay to London.Or, in which Rose and the Doctor find a home.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel of sorts to [One Moment](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12925875), which is part one of this series.

They take the train home.

There are faster ways to travel, of course. Jackie argues for the speed and comfort of flight. Rose, however, inwardly flinches at the idea of a small, intimate cabin in a zeppelin. Something flashes across the Doctor’s eyes when Rose says she doesn’t want to fly, but it’s gone too fast for her to interpret.

So, the train.

Once they board Jackie looks from Rose to the Doctor and back again and says, “Right. I’ll be around if you need me.” Fast as that, she’s gone.

They settle onto a seat, shoulders bumping together. Rose’s heart flutters at the contact.  _ That hasn’t changed, _ Rose thinks.  _ Now we just have to figure out the rest. _

The train pulls away from the station. After a few minutes of silence Rose says, “This was the only thing I missed traveling in the TARDIS.”

His face is puzzled; the expression is so dear to her she nearly cries out. Instead she nods her head at the window and the passing countryside. “No windows in the TARDIS. Sure there’s the scanner and all the viewscreens, but that’s not at all the same thing as watching the world go by through a window.”

“Well, staring into the time vortex isn’t exactly the same as gazing at passing fields and farmhouses.” He gives her a small, hesitant smile.

She takes his hand to reassure him. “I love the TARDIS. I’m sort of in shock thinking we can have our own someday. There’s a whole new universe for us to explore out there. I was just thinking about how things are...different.”

His smile grows, becomes more genuine.

He doesn’t let go of her hand.

The trip is a long one; if they stayed on the train the whole time they could get there in about 30 hours, but they need to get out and move. They stop in Copenhagen to eat and to buy a few changes of clothes. Rose is startled when the Doctor comes out of a shop wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but the red Converse on his feet are reassuring.

They spend an hour or so just wandering before they have to catch the next train. They come across a public statue garden Rose wants to explore but the gate is locked. Disappointed, Rose and Jackie turn and walk down the street, but before they get far Rose hears a familiar sound. She whips around, shopping bags swinging at her sides.

“You have a sonic!”

The Doctor grins as he flips the screwdriver into the air, catches it, and shoves it into the pocket of his jeans. “It’s an old model, but I’ll be able to upgrade it. The Doctor--the  _ other  _ Doctor--gave it to me before we left. He’s got loads, it’s not like he’ll suffer for the lack.” He grins. “Come on, let’s look at the statues.”

“That’s brilliant!” Without thinking she stands on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. Coming to herself she takes a hasty step back, flushing slightly.

_ What is my problem? _ she wonders.  _ Not long ago I was snogging him with all I had, and now I feel awkward about kissing his cheek. _

Back on the train...they talk. He tells her of his adventures with Martha and with Donna. She tells him of Torchwood. He talks about Cybermen and Daleks. She talks about having a baby brother. She asks how many times the TARDIS moved his bedroom ( _ Seventeen, she thinks she’s much cleverer than she is _ ). He asks where she’s living now ( _ For awhile I lived with Mum and Dad, but now I’ve got a house of my own _ ).

They do not get a sleeping compartment.

With each passing mile they grow more comfortable with their strange new situation--they even fall asleep holding hands, leaning against one another--but by unspoken agreement they stay in their seats through the night. City lights and stars twinkle as they sleep.

When Rose wakes with sunlight in her eyes she feels him beside her; she is reminded of all those times she fell asleep in the TARDIS library, or with her head on the kitchen table, or curled up in a chair in the console room, and woke up to him reading or tinkering with something. But this is exponentially better--his hand is still curled around hers.

Late that afternoon they reach London. Pete meets them at the station, and before Rose can blink they are standing on the edge of her front garden, the car pulling away.

It is the first time they have been truly alone.

They look at each other for a long, long moment. Finally Rose breaks the silence, saying, “I didn’t even think. You don’t have to stay here, if you don’t want to. You could go to Mum and Dad’s house, or a hotel, or--” He stops her by lightly putting his lips against hers.

“Oh,” she says, slightly out of breath. “You’re sure, then? This is what you want?” Her meaning is clear. She isn’t talking about a place to spend the night. She is talking about herself, about spending a lifetime together.

“Rose Tyler,” he says, running the pad of his thumb across her cheek. The sun is warm on her skin but either his voice or his touch makes her shiver. He smiles, his eyes fathoms deep. “Rose Tyler, since I met you I haven’t wanted anything else.”

Back on the beach kissing him had been pure impulse. This kiss, though, this is pure love.

Ending the kiss, Rose takes him by the hand, said, “Come on then,” and pulls him through the garden gate. She giggles at his stunned reaction to her garden. He waves around at the myriad of blue and white flowers. “You missed me,” he says, when he find the words.

“I crossed universes to find you, Doctor. Yeah, I missed you quite a lot. Mum thought I was mad, planting every blue flower I could find. But it was my way of having you near. That and…” She waves at the front door, her cheeks flushing pink with the motion.

He climbs the porch steps to the front door, which is painted TARDIS blue.

“It’s brilliant,” he says.

“Oh!” She searches for something in her pocket, finds it, drops it into his hand. “This is for you.”

He looks at the silver key, momentarily speechless.

“I’ve been carrying it with me since I moved in,” she says. “I didn’t know if you’d ever be in this universe, but I thought...well, just in case.”

He closes his hand around the key, then looks into her eyes.

“Welcome home, Doctor.”

**Author's Note:**

> 31 Days of Ficmas || Day 22: Shiver
> 
> ***
> 
> This story started its life as a poem. After working on it for awhile my brain said, “You dolt, this is NOT a poem. There is too much to say!” And I said “But, but, all the lovely imagery! It must be a poem!” And the story said, “Ha! You will not cut me down to 300 words or less! I will be nothing less than 1100!”
> 
> So. If it seems at all, for lack of a better word, poetic, now you know why. ;)


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